


Secret Keepers

by deathishauntedbyhumans



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Anxiety, Established Relationship, Fluff and Drama, Gen, Lies, M/M, Magic, Meet the Family, POV Multiple, Secrets, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000, more like ‘meet the mom who’s not actually a mom’
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 05:59:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19245238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathishauntedbyhumans/pseuds/deathishauntedbyhumans
Summary: Julian introduces Asra to Mazelinka for the first time.





	Secret Keepers

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place sometime after the apprentice died and before Lucio died. Mazelinka was canonically in Vesuvia at some point during this time— in Portia’s tale, it’s mentioned that she helped smuggle Julian out of Vesuvia the night after Lucio died.

There are signs of magic everywhere in the old woman’s house. 

_ I want you to meet her,  _ Julian had said with shining eyes and an excited smile.  _ She isn’t my mother, but she was damn near close to it growing up. _

Asra has just enough tact to wait until Julian is out of the room before questioning Mazelinka about it. After all, Julian seems more than comfortable around her, and Asra isn’t about to do anything to jeopardise Julian’s relationship with someone he considers family. Still… 

“You’re a witch,” Asra blurts, the second Julian has slipped away to relieve himself. He feels himself flush and mentally berates himself for letting the words slip out thoughtlessly. It looks like Julian’s lack of filter is rubbing off on him. 

Mazelinka doesn’t look angry, though. In fact, she hardly bats an eye. Instead, she smiles thinly and turns her gaze from him and out towards the window of her kitchen instead. “As are you,” she states innocently. 

Asra nods once, slowly, and then shakes his head after a brief consideration. “Ilya knows what I do,” he replies. “Unless I’m mistaken, he doesn’t seem to understand as much about you.” He doesn’t mean to come off as demanding as it sounds, and he winces. “I— Mazelinka, you seem like a wonderful woman. Ilya thinks the world of you. He talks of you often. But he’s never once mentioned magic in conjunction to you, and I don’t—“

“You don’t understand?” Mazelinka supplies, cutting him off. Asra bites his lip. He half-expects anger, or at the very least, some kind of upset at being outed so crudely as a magician. Most don’t take kindly to their craft being so quickly picked up on. 

Mazelinka surprises him, though. She merely keeps smiling that wan smile and turns her gaze back to Asra. Asra finds himself drawn to her motherly gaze like a moth to a flame. 

“Magic is many things,” Mazelinka tells him; and while he’s well-aware“Many people are unaware of just how  _ much  _ of their lives would be different, were it not for the little magics of the universe floating around them at all times.” She pauses, and the smile she’s wearing gets bigger. It looks much more genuine on her face, and it also reminds Asra remarkably of Julian. In one moment, he can see exactly where Julian had gotten his troublemaking nature from. “Naïvety is one hell of a drug, as you should well know, Magician.”

The reminder of his place, his patron, makes Asra want to squirm a little. He glances off to the side, half-hoping to see Julian return to put an end to the conversation, but he isn’t so lucky. 

“Ilyushka has always been a trusting boy,” Mazelinka continues. Her voice has softened considerably. “I would never do him harm. From a young age, that meant allowing him to think for himself. He never liked magic. It frightened him. He chose to close his eyes to the sight of the magic around both himself and me. I cared for him too much to enlighten him otherwise.” Asra looked back at her, only to find her staring directly back. “I would appreciate it if you would assist me in upholding that, my boy.”

Before Asra can say a word in response, Julian’s arrival has him straightening up in an attempt to act naturally. Julian saunters into the room with a grin on his face and plops back onto the chair beside Asra’s, reaching for Asra’s hand in what seems to be an absent, automatic motion. “Ah ha! Hope I didn’t miss anything important?”

Mazelinka chuckles, shaking her head fondly. Asra simply laces his fingers with Julian’s and does his best to process the conversation he’s just had without letting it show on his face.

* * *

Julian bounces like an excited puppy as they make their way back to the shop. Only Asra’s gentle grip on his hand keeps him from actively sprinting through the streets to ride the high he’s on. 

“Isn’t Mazelinka lovely?” he finally says with a grin, turning his head to finally face Asra. “I’m so glad you’ve finally met her, Asra.”

The look on Asra’s face makes Julian stumble in his step— there’s a flash of uncertainty, an expression unfamiliar to Julian in any situation beyond that of Lucio’s plight, and then a rippling effect, like Asra is consciously making an effort to conceal his true feelings. 

Julian knows that things are  _ complicated,  _ sometimes, for Asra, but this… isn’t one of those things. Unless Julian had somehow misstepped without knowing it? 

A curdling sense of anxiety settles in his gut, and he stops walking entirely, stopping Asra with him. “Asra? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Asra says it quickly, with a smile, like he’s been rehearsing the answer since before Julian had even thought to ask the question. The curdling sensation worsens. 

Asra must see it on his face —Asra  _ always  _ sees his emotions on his face— because he shakes his head and reaches up with his free hand to tenderly thread his fingers through the hair at the back of Julian’s head. Julian tilts his head down until Asra can kiss him softly. 

The public display of affection —it  _ is  _ public, despite the fact that the street they’re on is fairly empty at this hour— doesn’t quell Julian’s concern completely, but it does manage to help, a bit. 

“I’m just tired, Ilya,” Asra murmurs against Julian’s lips. “I hadn’t realised we were going to stay so long.”

_ Oh.  _ Understanding dawns on Julian like the sun after a long, sleepless night. It’s slow and hot, more embarrassed than warm. Julian frowns. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I lost track of time, and—“

Asra kisses him again, silencing him. When he pulls away —properly, this time— he has a soft, fond smile on his face, and it reaches his eyes, which further helps to expel the anxiety roiling in Julian’s stomach. 

“I liked watching you talk with her,” Asra murmurs. “You were… entirely yourself.”

Julian can  _ feel  _ himself blushing. “I’m always myself.”

Asra hums. “Not like that,” he says simply. There’s a soft air of mystery surrounding the words, but Julian is used to being vaguely confused when Asra talks. He doesn’t bother to continue questioning it. Instead, he places a kiss on the tip of Asra’s nose and tugs on his hand. 

“Let’s get you home, my weary darling,” he says, laughing when Asra rolls his eyes. The way he squeezes his hand and lets Julian pull him into walking again assures him that Asra likes it, even if he won’t show it.

* * *

_ Your secret is safe with me, Mazelinka. Ilya  **will** be safe from magic. _

_ I care for him, too.  _

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at work lmao
> 
> This Asra is fairly different from the Asra that I normally write? I feel like he’s a little closer to canon, though— lbr, canon!Asra is just as much of a fumbling mess as Julian is, he’s just better at hiding it. 
> 
> Kudos/comments are love!! Come scream at me on tumblr @deathishauntedbyhumans.


End file.
